Author's note:
Sorry for all the delay. Here it is. The final chapter for By the
Sea.

Day Three: Dawn

From
beyond the horizon, the sun rose. An eternal process, never ending,
never changing and until now, had remained untainted by the presence
of the people of the world. The world, as beautiful as it seemed have
its twists and turns too. Not all wishes for the best in everyone and
not all are willing to put others needs before their own. Some are
selfish, willing to do anything to keep their peace, afraid of change
and unmoving to anyone who would suggest such things…

She stood
by the balcony, her gun left on the small bedside desk. Having
decided to not practice her technique today, it left her with quite
some free time to look at the sunrise. There was something about this
country that attracted her. Something that made her wanted to stay.
She watched on as early morning men proceeded to the dock, determined
to catch the big one and provide food for their families.

Little
children rushed and jumped into the cold morning water, shivering
upon touch but grew accustomed to it soon after. Their ever watchful
mother monitored them from a distance, far enough to give them their
space but not too far as to be unable to protect them.

Hermes
was already up or as up as a motorrad can get. "Kino, are you ok?"

"I'm…fine.
In fact, this is the most refreshing morning I've ever felt."

"So why
are you not drawing you gun?"

She did
not know. It was as if there wasn't a need to draw the piece
anymore. "I feel quite lazy today for some reason. Do you want to
go for a walk Hermes?"

"There's
no rush. We woke up earlier than usual so why not enjoy a stroll."

"I
guess it's ok…"

"We'll
leave before nightfall, don't worry." She assured her companion.

She
decided not to wear her coat and instead, left it in one of Hermes
compartment. Pushing the motorrad to the door, the traveler turned
back one more time to ensure not have been left behind before closing
the door behind her.

XXX

Deciding
that the day before, she has had enough of the inner parts of the
village, Kino headed for the pier today. Her boots made slight
squishing noises as she walked her way on the wooden platform though
Hermes wheel made little noise other than the occasional screech of
rusted parts.

"You
have to oil me more often Kino. I don't remember having so many
lousy parts in my body." Hermes complained.

She
stopped at the edge of the pier which extended out fifty meters to
the sea. The walls of the country at the side extended with it,
ending a few meters short of where she stood so the sandy beach was
elusive to her eyes. Having already risen above the horizon, the sun
now floated smaller than before higher up in the late morning sky.

"I oil
you every week Hermes. It's just the sea water. They just don't
mix well with metal. You'll be fine once we're leave." Kino
reassured him.

"That's
a relief. For a moment there, I thought I was getting old. I hope we
leave soon."

"Why do
you wish to leave so early anyway?" Kino asked immediately as
Hermes said 'soon'. "This is a nice place don't you think?
Good people, nice environment and all. It's like a little
paradise." I wouldn't mind staying another day or two. She
mentally noted.

"I know
Kino. But this place just reminds me of that other beach we found a
few months back." He sounded worried. More than his usual nagging
kind of worry.

Five
months ago, they came out of a forest path and found themselves on
another sandy shore. The sediments there however were red, stained by
the blood of all the body that lay atop. Most of them were bones of
humans. Smoothness ran over them from the years of erosion that took
place. The more well kept bodies attracted flies that buzzed and some
were half eaten by maggots.

Further
up the shore was a giant wooden wall which stood, casting its shadow
over the deceased like a conqueror who stood victory over the
battlefield. Upon laying eyes on the ghastly sight, Kino had turned
back into the forest, unwilling to thread upon possibly hostile
grounds.

"I
really doubt this country is like that one Hermes." She tried to
make it sound as comforting as possible.

"Don't
be so sure Miss Kino." Granny Sugars said as she makes her slow way
across the pier towards the traveler. "One thing I learnt from my
travels is that nothing is as it seems."

"What
do you mean?" Kino asked.

"If you
are ready to leave this place Miss Kino, I'll show you."

Kino
thought about it in silent contemplation. A few seconds passed before
she managed an answer. "I'd like to stay… just a little
longer."

The old
woman smiled. The same smile she gave her when they first met.
"Certainly."

Kino
stayed at the peer, long after the old lady has gone and the sun was
already setting. She ignored Hermes' pleas to leave and continued
to watch the rising of the moon.

"Kino,
are you really thinking of staying here another day?" Hermes asked
for the tenth time.

"Of
course not Hermes." Even though she said that, she did not move
from her spot. Truth was that she wanted to stay. The country was a
symbol for eternity of peace, just like a fairy tale where after the
adventure is over, the protagonist finds a beautiful land and lives
happily ever after.

The
world is like a book. They tell the truth with lies because the false
are always more beautiful than reality. Like a flash of
lightning, she recalled the line said by a wise old man she had met
just days ago. He was a traveler who loved books and always compared
the world to them.

Suddenly,
everything felt clearer. The edges of the crescent moon seemed
sharper and the sound of the tide seemed closer and more surround
than surreal. The world is what a book is not for there isn't
any happily ever after here.

The
traveler turned. "We're leaving." She said to her companion.
The sudden action seemed to have either incapacitated Hermes ability
of speech or the motorrad just did not feel like speaking out right
then. The wooden platform began to creak and suddenly, the country
did not seem as perfect as it once was.

XXX

She
arrived at the northern gate. It looked exactly the same as the one
she came in from except there were more guards, a lot more. Granny
Sugars seemed to be waiting there and waved to Kino when she saw her
approach.

"Leaving
now are we Miss Kino?" She said.

"Yes. I
was tempted to stay truth to be told but there's so much more out
there I want to see. Besides, Hermes couldn't stand it here any
longer." She added a joking tone to her last sentence.

"Hey!"
the mottorad finally spoke. "You didn't have to tell the whole
world that you know."

The old
lady smiled at the bike and then back at Kino. "Well, shall we go?"

Kino was
puzzled. "Are you escorting me out Granny Sugars?"

"Something
like that."

They
proceeded to the guardhouse and Granny Sugars went in. The
translucent screen gave Kino a shadowy outline. First, the old woman
talked with the guard there and laughed. After another set of
conversation, the guard began to cry and hugged the lady, patting her
back. He turned away and the gate open and Granny came back out to
join Kino.

"What
was that about?" Kino asked.

"Oh,
I've decided to leave the country. I'm not young anymore and I
don't wish to spend the last of my life cooped up in here. After
all, I am a traveler."

She
smiled again. "We can't." They walked out and onto a shore lay
with bodies. The same shore Kino came by months ago.

For some
reason, Kino wasn't as surprised as she thought she should be. Some
part of her had already expected this when Hermes had mentioned the
beach of death. The trio continued walking a distance until they came
to the edge of the field of the dead.

They all
turned to face each other and the old lady said, "I guess this is
where we part Miss Kino."

"Before
we leave Granny Sugars, I have question." Kino said.

"I bet
it's why." Granny replied to which Kino nodded. "The country
believes that as long as everything stays the same, simple and
without too much outside interference, they would be able to live in
peace forever. They are afraid that if word of our country gets out,
more and more people would come. That's why the countrymen aren't
allowed to leave. Word of mouth travels faster than anything else on
Earth you know."

"But
what about you Granny?" Hermes asked.

"I
don't like to die feeling trapped. Besides, my days are numbered
anyway." They could hear the soft 'aim' command coming from the
tower of the gate. "Well, Miss Kino, it has been nice meeting you.
You reminded me of the beauty of the world."

The arrow
flew through the air and went straight through old Granny Sugars'
skull and the old lady fall to the sand, dead.

Kino
stood there, staring at the body for awhile then turned and got onto
her bike.

"Kino?"
Hermes asked worried.

The
traveler put on her goggles and took a deep breath. "Let's go
Hermes." She started the engine and the two ride of back onto the
forest path leaving a cloud of sand in their wake.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.